


Cold

by AlexAzgeda, AlexxTrikru



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan, the hundred - Fandom, the100
Genre: Azgeda, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Grounder Culture, Nightblood - Freeform, Original Character(s), Protectiveness, Romance, Skaikru, Slow Burn, Trigedasleng, Trikru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:09:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23682928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexAzgeda/pseuds/AlexAzgeda, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexxTrikru/pseuds/AlexxTrikru
Summary: Ashlyn is one of the hundred. However, she is different to all those surrounding her, as she is a nightblood. Hiding all her life, she is now forced to embrace her destiny whilst burdened with the obligation of protecting her people against those who would threaten their safety. As the lines blur between her enemies and her people, she is forced to make a choice about who she will protect and who will be killed.Roan x OC Fanfiction.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin & Roan, Bellamy Blake & John Murphy, Bellamy Blake & Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & John Murphy, Clarke Griffin & Roan, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin, Roan (The 100)/Original Character(s), Roan (The 100)/Original Female Character(s), Roan (The 100)/You, Roan (the 100)/Reader
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi! Hopefully you like the story and if you have any advice or constructive criticism please feel free to share, as this is my first time writing fanfiction, so there is bound to be many mistakes. Enjoy reading! :)  
> \- Alex

The sun slowly leaks into the large wooden chambers Clarke finds herself in, allowing warmth to seep into the previously cold and dark room, as well as diminishing the chill that had persistently followed her for hours. The emerging light signalled the beginning of another day of politics, debate and conveyed threats directed her way as well as towards her people, the same threats that had emerged ever since her arrival in Polis.

It had been foolishly optimistic of Clarke to hope that her new title of 'Wanheda' would produce a marginal amount of respect or gratitude from the grounders, and perhaps even remove the distinct desire for many of the clans to declare outright war on Skaikru. Instead, each day Clarke tirelessly aimed to protect her people and ensure that they were included amongst Lexa's alliance, this was the sole purpose for her continued stay in the capital, and what had prevented her returning to her friends, her mother, and though she tried to deny it, most importantly Bellamy.  
She mechanically rose from the array of furs spread across the bed that Lexa had graciously provided for her, trying to shake away the memory of leaving Bellamy three months ago, she had reasoned to herself then that she needed time to heal and grieve, away from the accusatory, disgusted and fearful eyes that had been directed towards her after she had irradiated Mount Weather.

What she hadn't planned on was travelling to Polis in order to exact revenge on the Commander who had forced her hand by retreating, then later taking up the role of Skaikru Ambassador. Clarke wasn't even sure that she could call herself an Ambassador after having been removed from the affairs of her people for three months, though Lexa was adamant that the only reason the clans, particularly Azgeda, hadn't declared war on Skaikru, was because Clarke's presence placed her people under the Commander's protection, however, that did little to stop the remnant tension and accompanied threats.

Clarke tried to stem the tidal wave of anxiousness and uncertainty regarding her people's safety by focusing on something as simple and systematic as dressing herself, the dark blue hues that cascaded across the fabric of what she was about to wear, stirred a deep-seated longing of hers to capture the colour and paint it. She quickly shook her head, now was not the time to undertake something so trivial as painting, instead she promptly adorned the grounder attire and braided her hair, aiming to appear as similar to the people around her as possible.

As Clarke finishes fastening a small dagger to her side, strapping it tightly, she sets her shoulders and masks her face into an appearance of confidence and self-assurance, attempting to present herself as a worthy ambassador to the Commander, and worthy of the title of 'Wanheda', before leaving her quarters to stride down the long corridor that would lead to the throne room.

She had initially been disorientated by the great number of alleys, corridors, entrances and walkways that rose to an unimaginable height in the centre building of Polis, though now she had a sense of familiarity and almost comfort in the knowledge that she could find her way to the majority of areas within the construction. The seemingly endless walls pass by her, only registering within her peripheral vision as she approaches Lexa's throne room, however, Clarke pauses prior to entering, standing before the two engraved oak doors to listen to the raised agitated voices that floated out from the chamber.

Previously, she would have had no idea as to what was being said, but Clarke was becoming increasingly fluent in trigedasleng, and could almost be called a fluent speaker, if not for a few inaccuracies that would present themselves in her speech. As a result, she could clearly distinguish that the incensed shouting was primarily targeted at herself and Skaikru.

'Great timing.' Clarke thought to herself, somewhat ironically, before pushing open the doors and making her way further into the room, abruptly causing all conversation to cease. She gracefully descended into the ornate throne-like chair that was intended for the Ambassador of the thirteenth clan and lifted her eyes to stare down the individuals who had demanded that Skaikru be removed from the Kongeda.

"Monin hou, Wanheda." (welcome back) Lexa acknowledges her with a slight smile and nod.

"Fiya gon ai hodon, Heda." (sorry for my holdup/sorry for being late) Clarke responds.

"Ba'm eintheing." (It is nothing) Lexa replies, before addressing everyone in the room. "Nau oso na kigon gon badan klin gon de Kongeda en Skaikru. (Now we will continue to swear loyalty to the Coalition and Skaikru.)

Clarke sighed, already knowing that many of the clans would not welcome Skaikru into the Coalition, as Lexa had attempted for weeks for them to acknowledge her people as the thirteenth clan, however it was to no avail, as there was always opposition, particularly from Azgeda.

Sure enough, the Ambassador of the Ice Nation declared vehemently that "Nou edei! Azgeda na nou na raun an hukop kom Skaikru. Emo ste kwelen en dula op nou get in oso edei." (No way! Azgeda will not be in an alliance with Skaikru. They are weak and do not know our customs.)

There were murmurs of agreement muttered from some of the other gathered ambassadors and representatives, the Ingranrona delegate above all being the most vocal against Clarke.

"Chomouda oso ste in an hukop kom Skaikru taim omo bandrona ste Wanheda? Du nou laik osir kru. Chomouda osir na hon hedon in kom em? En hakom Wanheda ste kik raun? Seintaim dison laik Heda kwelnes, Ingranronakru na step op foshou en frag em op, jak em op uf. (Why should we be allied with Skaikru when their ambassador is Wanheda? She is not one of us. Why should we take orders from her? And why does Wanheda still live? If this is the Commander's weakness again, Ingranronkru will happily step in and kill her [Wanheda], taking her power.)

"Shof yu op!" (Silence!) Lexa intercedes, a dangerous glint shimmering in her eye. "Em ste meija bilaik oso flou thru seintaim en kom Skaikru en Wanheda, emo ste nou oso baga nau. En seintaim jomp Wanheda op, en yu jomp ai op." (It's important that we all work together and with Skaikru and Wanheda, they are not our enemy now. And if you attack Wanheda, you attack me.)

"Azgeda nou badan disha gada op nowe." (Azgeda does not answer to this girl.) The Azgeda Ambassador interrupted once more, motioning to Clarke with disdain.

Finally, she had had enough, listening to the gathered leaders refuse to acknowledge her clan as a part of the Coalition, even though their beloved Commander had declared it, had caused Clarke's patience to steadily diminish, and so she stood to confront those who would rather wage war against her people, than ally themselves with a clan that had many benefits to offer.

"Chomouda yu ste dula dison op gon osir?" (Why are you doing this to us?) She begins in trigedasleng, before switching to English, not knowing how to share her perspective in the foreign language. "Skaikru is a powerful ally, and we are not aiming to be anyone's enemy. Our clan has unknowingly invaded Trikru land, however they are willing to sign a treaty with us, why aren't you willing to accept us into the Coalition without ever being harmed from my people." Clarke tried to make them see reason, there was no need for war. There was no need to spill innocent blood and create more death, pain, and sorrow, it would benefit no one.

Following the destruction of Mount Weather, she had been ignorant to believe that there would be peace, perhaps not emotionally for her, but her friends and family would finally be able to enjoy their hard-won freedom, without the restrictions that were so commonplace on the ark, and without the constant fear of the grounders retaliating. Clarke would do anything to ensure her people's survival and happiness, her actions in Mount Weather had proven as much, but she wished that their survival could be achieved without the constant argument and threats that were given to her from the other clans. It was frankly exhausting.

Nevertheless, another delegate arose to combat her words, if Clarke had anything to say about the grounders it was that they were neverendingly stubborn. The Podakru Ambassador that had arisen was an older man, as shown by the greying wispy hair elaborately braided around his head, and the many lines on his face that spoke of experiences greater than beyond Clarke's wildest imagination. Though defiant against Skaikru's inclusion, he seemed to be more level-headed than those that had spoken before, offering perhaps misguided, but true statements regarding Clarke's people.

"Though you may wear our clothes, speak our tongue, live amongst us, Wanheda, your kru is different, they bring guns and weapons of greater destructive capability than we are able to do ourselves combined, you are more like the Maunon than us. You have barely been on the ground, yet you wish to gain our trust, I will not align with you until you have proven worthy."

This was perhaps the one statement that defeated Clarke most, the previous disagreements had been based upon anger or pride, however the elder had somewhat concluded a logical argument. Her people were dangerous. Though she could claim that she was a representative of all her people and trust that they would honour the alliance and not harm the other clans, the truth was that she had no power over Skaikru, there were dangerous individuals amongst them too, with the power to inflict similar destruction as Mount Weather, perhaps more.  
Clarke sighed and sat back down, failing at offering a rebuttal.

Sensing Clarke was at a loss, Lexa declared that the meeting would reconvene tomorrow, ordering everyone to leave with a hard stare, particularly directed to those from Azgeda and Ingranronakru, who exited with a look that promised violence.

With the only remaining people left being Clarke, Lexa, and a few others, Clarke dropped her guard, the weariness and exhaustion coming to lie on her face, whilst her shoulders slumped in defeat, unsure of how to continue.

"Clarke." Lexa softly states, drawing her attention to the young commander, thankful that she had at least one friend or ally in Polis that would defend her and her people.

The slight concern present within Lexa's face calmed her, albeit only a little, as even though the day had barely begun, Clarke felt worn out with the pressures that came from being in the grounder capitol.

"I just don't know what to do, Lexa. My people need to be part of this alliance, they may be right that we have technology and a lot of power that comes from it, but we can't afford to be fighting against every clan." Clarke confides, worried that war may be the only viable outcome.

Lexa comes closer, resting a hand on Clarke's shoulder and promises that "if that were to be the case, Skaikru will not stand alone, as I promised you, your people are my people, and Trikru will defend you, regardless of whether the coalition falls."

"I'm grateful for that Lexa, but I do not want you and Trikru to be in danger either." Clarke responds, truly appreciative of the Commander, surprised at how quickly Lexa had become one of her closest friends and supporters, when only a few months ago, Clarke had sworn to take revenge against her for her betrayal and surrender at Mount Weather. The combined guilt, anger, disappointment, and resentment that had followed Clarke since irradiating the mountain had left once, she realized that if she were in the same position as Lexa, she most likely would have done something similar.

"Trust me, I do not want that either. Which is why I have come up with a plan." Lexa smiles warmly, helping Clarke up, and leading her to the balcony, overlooking Polis.

Clarke had to admit, for all its faults, Polis was really beautiful, especially when the gold rays of sunrise shone against the city that had just begun to awaken, highlighting the silver, bronze and copper buildings glistening in the light, it reminded her of the ark, her home for almost eighteen years, however, there were a great many differences for which she was thankful for, primarily, the large expansive forest surrounding the city which allowed her to feel a sense of freedom that was lacking up in space. She could also breathe in the clean air without the guilt and knowledge that she was stealing it from others, the lack of resources that was a dire issue was no longer a concern of hers, and the recycled and limited water supply on the ark was now replaced with endless rivers, creeks and waterfalls. Though for all the natural beauty on the ground, Clarke still had to deal with the power-hungry, cruel, and narcissistic personalities that permeated both the land and the sky.

"What's your plan?" Clarke questioned, turning away from her view of the city below.

"Look, Podakru is somewhat valid in their opinion, Skaikru haven't been here for long, and not all of your people would appreciate being made part of the Coalition." Lexa begun.

"But—"

"However," She continued, holding up a hand to silence Clarke. "I am still determined to include Skaikru in my alliance, so for the other clans who aren't as hostile as Azgeda or Ingranrona, I will send for an Ambassador that they have great respect for and can learn to trust, and perhaps they might reconsider." Lexa smiles wryly. "Not that they don't respect you, Wanheda, but they would more like to kill you then listen to you."

Clarke smiles slightly in return, knowing full well that many wished to take whatever perceived power that she had, though she was somewhat confused at to what the young commander was getting at. "Yeah that would be great Lexa, but who are they going to listen to?"

"You are well aware of how you gained your title, and the meaning that is behind it, but there is another of your people who have gained a title of their own, this one being very well admired, with grounders often feeling a great amount of protectiveness and gratitude towards."

"What are you getting at?"

Lexa went on further to clue Clarke in on her plan. "Not long after you left Arkadia, one of your friends was named a Sheidgona, normally she would've just been called 'Gona' but because she has nightblood, she is more respected, that and for the fact that she saved quite a lot of people, not just from Trikru, but there was a gathering of several clans that she protected and saved many of their lives."

"Nightblood?" Clarke softly murmured to herself, furrowing her eyebrows to try and remember if she had seen another nightblood. Understanding slowly dawned on her as she recalled her mother commenting on her friend Ashlyn's unusual injuries that she had acquired before going to Arkadia, unusual in that her blood was dark, Abby at the time had thought Ashlyn had been poisoned or something, and when she was asked about it, she had skillfully evaded their questions. " Ashlyn, you mean her, right?" Clarke asked to confirm her suspicions.

Lexa nodded, "The clans will listen to her, I'm sure of it." She then moved away from the balcony, however, quickly turned back to Clarke. "Do you have faith in her that she will make a good case for Skaikru?"

Clarke nodded, having complete trust in her friend, and if what Lexa said was true, the Ambassadors would at least acknowledge her and listen to her more than they ever did to herself, as they were too preoccupied with their desire to kill her, whilst simultaneously being afraid of her, though Clarke paused at the logistics of it. "How will you send for her though? Skaikru will most likely shoot any grounder they see."

"And that is why who I send won't make himself known to the sky people." Lexa confirmed, before striding over to one of her guards standing before the entranceway. "Sen op gon Roan." (Send for Roan.)

"Sha, Heda." (Yes, Heda.) The guard bowed before setting out to complete his commander's orders.

Clarke frowned in confusion, "Who is Roan?" she asked Lexa.

"He is the Prince of Azgeda."

"Azgeda." Clarke scoffed, staring incredulously at the Commander. "You would trust a person—a prince no less, from the clan that is trying to destroy mine to escort my friend to Polis, are you crazy?!"

Lexa rolled her eyes before answering, "Trust? No. However, he will do this for something in return, and at the moment he holds no allegiance to Azgeda because he is currently banished."

Clarke was unsure, not wanting to place her friend's life in the hands of a stranger, let alone someone from Azgeda, though she didn't have time to deliberate further because soon after the guard returned with who she assumed to be Roan in tow. Gathering from his expression, Clarke could tell that he was irritated at having been sent for, if the vicious temper emanating off him was anything to go by.

"Ai don a dula gon yu gon dula op, Hainofa. (I have a job for you to do, Prince). Lexa stated to Roan, using his title almost mockingly, something that Clarke noted did nothing to improve his mood, as he proceeded to slightly clench his jaw in anger at the commander.

Roan sauntered closer. "En taim ai biyo no?" (And if I say no?)

"Wich in ai, yu na gaf in gon dula op disha." (Trust me, you will want to do this.) Lexa countered. "Taim yu lid in Sheidgona gon Polis, yu na bak op gon Azgeda. (If you bring Shiedgona to Polis, you can return to Azgeda.)

"You will lift my banishment." Roan stated in English, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

Lexa rose to her full height. "I will honour this deal, if you bring her here." She however caught Clarke's concerned and mistrustful look that was directed at Roan, before adding, "And she is to be unharmed."

Roan looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding shortly at the Commander and taking his leave. Clarke watched him go, hoping that he would deliver her friend, and perhaps then, her people would finally be safe.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took awhile to write. Hope you like it. :)

Sometimes, Ashlyn wished that she had not stayed in Arkadia after the events of Mount Weather, that she had left like Clarke did, after making sure her people were safe. Besides the constant fear and trepidation that surrounded her when she was at the dropship with the rest of the hundred, she had felt a sense of freedom and value, that they for the most part had each other’s backs and weren’t restricted to a specific area or job. 

This had quickly disappeared once the remaining people on the ark had come down and established a very similar order to the way things were conducted up in space. She was no longer free, confined to the metal bars that encircled the camp, separating the ground from the remnants of the space station, and what made the situation worse was that the supposed adults refused to acknowledge the hundred as anything more than children, when in reality they had far more experience and awareness of the ground than all of Skaikru combined. Nevertheless, Arkadia leadership rarely permitted the hundred to advise or act upon their knowledge, yet they were happy to stand back when Ashlyn and the others had endangered their lives aiming to save the rest of the people from the mountain. 

It infuriated her to no end, she had finally tasted freedom and some happiness with her friends, they had found a sense of kinship, people who had experienced the same difficulties and pain inflicted upon them by the ark, often with no real cause, and now they were all expected to return to their previous lives, again seen as teenage criminals who only wanted to rebel against the leaders for no real reason, rather than the injustice, arbitrariness and corruption that had profoundly ingrained itself into the adults’ mentality. 

Another drawback of living in Arkadia was the familiar threat that someone would discover that her blood was different, that it was darker. When Ashlyn was young, her mother had constantly reminded her of the importance for being careful, so as to not risk a situation where she would be bleeding in front of others, it had been so deeply embedded in her mind that she would end up hiding from everyone, it was the safest way of not being caught out. Her mother had warned her that she would be tested for a defect or perhaps that it was a consequence of low oxygen levels, but ultimately she had stated that it was human nature to be fearful and distrustful of the unknown, and she would be in danger because of it, and that was what her blood was, unknown. 

This had been the case for the first seventeen years of Ashlyn’s life, she was abnormal, someone different, a person to be feared, until she had come to the ground. When she had seen Lexa, the commander of the grounders, and had noticed her blood being the same colour as her own, naturally her interest was piqued, she had spent hours trailing the commander and asking her questions to confirm whether she may not be alone in the colour of her blood. It turned out that the very thing Ashlyn had hated about herself for all of her childhood, was something to be valued and treasured among the grounders, it was refreshing. 

Still, Ashlyn had only revealed that she was a natblida to very few people, Lexa being the first, followed by Octavia, Lincoln and a few others who had seen her injured and she could no longer hide it from them. When they had returned to the other members of Skaikru however, she had made them all swear they wouldn’t reveal anything about it, as though she doubted she would be prosecuted or endangered from it anymore, she was still hesitant about revealing such a large secret about herself to everyone. 

Fortunately, she could take a well-deserved reprieve of the fear and anxiety that was associated with the confines of Arkadia, if only for a few hours, as she and some of her friends had been scheduled to undertake a hunting and resource retrieval mission. They had been permitted to take the rover to scour the nearby surrounds for food and anything else that might prove useful to their peoples’ survival against the oncoming winter. 

Winter. It had been an ever-growing concern for everyone, of all the life-threatening experiences that they had gone through with the grounders, the mountain men and basic day-to-day survival, none of the people from Skaikru had gone through this particular season and were definitely underprepared, they had only just had brief dealings with summer and autumn, the latter had already seen to dwindling supplies of food and other essential items. Ashlyn remembered during her Earth Skills classes on the ark that they had learnt about the extreme cold temperatures, snow and frozen rivers associated with the season, that also produced famines, hypothermia and increased levels of sickness. It frightened her, though she couldn’t deny that she felt a small sense of excitement at the possibility of seeing snow for the first time, she had only seen pictures of it as a child, however it never failed to fascinate her. 

Whilst Ashlyn had been engrossed in her thoughts, she failed to notice Octavia sneak up behind her, that was until she had slung an arm around the other girl’s shoulders, a grin on her face.

“Hey Ash,” Octavia greets her warmly, “You ready to get out of this hell-hole.”

“Absolutely, I just need to grab my sword.” Ashlyn replies, smiling back before moving away from Octavia to grab her weapon, the one that the other girl had helped her train with. As she tightened the sword across her back securely, she noticed that Octavia was holding her riding gear, hanging loosely from her arms that had crossed over as she watched Ashlyn prepare for the hunting trip.

“What’s that for?” Ashlyn questioned Octavia, nodding to the gear, slightly confused as she thought that everyone would be travelling in the rover.

“I convinced the council to allow Lincoln to come on the trip, so there won’t be enough room for all nine of us in the rover.” Octavia explained.

“That’s great!” Ashlyn exclaims, happy that Octavia and Lincoln would be able to leave Arkadia, if only for a short while as she knew the both of them felt as trapped as her, if not more. 

Octavia’s grin widens, “I know! But hey if you want to ride Helios on the way back your welcome to.”

“Is this just to be with your man.” Ashlyn teases, but grateful as she loved to ride and only Octavia owned a horse that was able to be regularly ridden. 

“You know it is.” Octavia states, before grabbing Ashlyn’s arm and dragging her outside of the room. “Now come on, let’s go before they change their minds.” 

The two of them then travelled through one of the main halls that led to the storage room where they would meet everyone else near the rover, whilst Ashlyn passed through the metal walls it was hard to remind herself that she wasn’t back up in space, confined to a cell waiting to be floated. Octavia could tell that she was tense and squeezed her hand supportively offering her a small smile of understanding, it was hard for her too as it felt too much like being trapped under the floor. 

They both breathed a sigh of relief as they caught sight of everyone else. Raven waved them over from the driver’s seat, her being the most comfortable and well-versed in operating technology such as the rover. Bellamy was next to her in the passenger seat and smiled in greeting towards his sister. Ashlyn guessed that the rest, Jasper, Monty, Harper, Lincoln and Miller were seated in the back. 

Octavia pauses before the rover, unlinking her arm from the girl beside her. “I’ll see you there, I’m going to go get Helios now.” She mentions before adding, “send Lincoln my love.”

Ashlyn giggles, “Of course, see you at the hunting sight.” She then walked ahead to greet the others. Reaching for the back door of the rover, she is shocked at the biting cold of the metal pressing against her hand, ‘yep, winter is definitely near’ she thinks grimly before yanking the door open, wincing at the sharp screech of the metal as it widened to reveal her friends. 

Bellamy calls to her from the front, “where’s Octavia going?”

“Oh, she’s going to ride on the way up, don’t worry she will meet us there.” She responds, then turns towards Lincoln, “Octavia wants me to pass on that she loves you by the way.” 

Lincoln grins “Thanks Ash.” 

“Come on let’s get going.” Bellamy says grumpily, though she could tell he was fighting a smile, pleased that his sister was happy.

“Yes boss.” Ashlyn mock salutes, before sitting next to Lincoln, facing across from Monty and Harper. 

“Thank you, Ash, for acknowledging my superior position.” Bellamy jokes before Raven pulls out of the storage room and they finally pass through the gates of Arkadia. 

She smiled softly as she observed the large expanse of forest that was quickly speeding through her field of vision, the trees were a startling green that provided a brilliant contrast for the flowers that dotted the area, some were a bright purple, other’s lighter with yellow and white, and then there were her favourite flowers, they were a dark blue in the centre that slowly faded into a colour similar to that of the sky above her. Though what soothed her nerves and anxiousness from the metal encampment of Arkadia the most was the sweet fresh air that filled her nose and the chorus of birdcalls and sounds that echoed periodically throughout the forest. She was truly grateful that she was able to experience life on the ground, only now aware of what she was missing for all those years in space. 

Though some of her friends were more comfortable around technology and enclosed spaces, particularly Raven and Jasper, Ashlyn knew that Lincoln was also delighted to be where he belonged, the months of restrictions that Skaikru had enforced on him had taken its toll, though she was glad that he could lean and rely on Octavia.  
Ashlyn leant her head back against the firm seat of the rover, turning to the side slightly so as to continue to look out at the passing surroundings. Though she may have disliked the rover’s tendency to bounce on the rough terrain they were making great time, already speeding past the halfway mark of where they were going to go hunting and gather supplies. 

Speaking of which, Bellamy turned back to the group, wanting to organize who would be responsible for hunting and who would be collecting necessities from a bunker that had yet to be explored. 

“Miller, Octavia, Lincoln and I will hunt, though we’ll only venture a little from the bunker, as I want the two groups not to separate too much, alright?” Bellamy explained, pointedly looking at Jasper who had become prone to disappearing.

There were murmurs of agreement amongst the group as they prepared themselves for their assigned tasks. As the rover entered the clearing that was their destination, Ashlyn could see Octavia perched upon a crumbling stone wall just in front of the rusted steel walls embedded into the ground, the only signs that a bunker was located here. Helios was grazing nearby in the long green grasses of the clearing, surrounded by tall oak trees, towering above them so that there was little sunlight which filtered through.   
Raven pulled the vehicle to a stop, and the rest of them clambered out of it, Lincoln being the fastest, immediately running towards Octavia and swung her around in a circle.

“Okay lovebirds,” Harper called out to them, with her lips tilted in a small smile. “We only have a few hours to get this done, so let’s get going.”

Octavia grinned, “You’re one to talk Harper.” Nodding to Harper and her hand that was intertwined with Monty’s, before leading Lincoln over to the rest of them where they were handing out a radio to someone of each group. 

Bellamy hands one of the radios to Raven who would be responsible for the group going to the bunker, and the other to Miller for those who would hunt. “Alright we’ll most likely meet back here in three hours, grab everything that we might possibly need from the bunker, but if it’s relatively empty then radio us and you guys can hunt towards the south, just make sure two people stay with the rover.” 

Bellamy then led Miller, Lincoln and Octavia further north to hopefully catch some decent food that would probably only end up feeding a few people, whilst the other five ventured closer to the bunker. Ashlyn was the first to approach, reaching for a dagger that was strapped to her thigh in order to help open the doors that had rusted shut. Grunting with the effort, she managed to get it open, revealing a metal staircase that disappeared into the dark. 

“Hey Raven, we may need some of those flashlights you brought, its pretty dark down there.” Ashlyn called back, watching Raven rush back to the rover, rummaging around for the torches that they had managed to convince Arkadia leadership that they would need, she was now glad that they had argued for them. Raven managed to find them and dispersed them among the group, excluding Jasper as he was going to remain in the vehicle, keeping a lookout. Though Ashlyn doubted that he would be of much use if there actually was something to look out for as he was currently engrossed in Maya’s old iPod, the music blasting from the headphones so loud that she could hear it herself when she was standing near to him.

“Looks like we’ll have to go single file, it’s pretty narrow.” Monty mentions, looking down into the bunker, before descending into the darkness. 

The rest followed his lead, with Ashlyn being the last to enter. She hoped that they would find a variety of good quality supplies, or at the very least some blankets or something that would help against the oncoming winter, she fiddled with the hem of her shirt worried that it might be another futile search like many of the previous resource retrieval missions had been.

However, it turned out she had little to be worried about, they ended up finding two storage boxes of blankets, they had clearly been attacked by moths if the several holes and tattered edges were anything to go by, but they looked quite warm and would be sufficient. There was also quite a lot of dried and preserved food that would still be able to be used, though they were most likely placed here one hundred years ago. What her favourite find though was when she had been looking towards the back and found a supply of winter clothing that would be adequate enough for about a fifth of Arkadia’s entire population. 

As a result of finding so many items, it took awhile for them to pack everything in the rover even with the help of Bellamy and the others who had returned from their hunt, acquiring some deer, a boar and a few rabbits. So, by the time they were ready to leave it was nearing sunset, the sky turning to gold, dotted with pink tones scattered amongst the clouds.

“Okay I’ll see you guys back at camp.” Ashlyn stated to the group packed into the rover, eager to start riding Helios. 

“Be careful, Ash.” Bellamy called back, a small frown creasing his face, as he had not expected it to be getting so dark when they were originally going to return back to Arkadia. 

“Always am.” She smiled before turning away from the vehicle that began to make its way back the way they came. Ashlyn then walked softly up to the horse that had been standing near one of the trees, she gently patted his hide prior to mounting him, enjoying the feeling of being atop a horse again, it felt like freedom, like she could go anywhere in the world. 

“Let’s go, Helios.” She murmured, before nudging him into a run, headed south towards the camp. The feeling of the wind flying past her face, and the rush of oxygen that travelled through her lungs whilst riding was something that she could never forget. Before earth, she never thought that breathing could be something enjoyable, it was necessary for survival, sure, but she had never imagined that it could be so fresh and sweet at the same time, it made her feel truly alive. 

What was more were the beautiful surroundings that enveloped her, the dark green pine trees stood tall amongst the forest and cast magnificent silhouettes set against the darkening sky that had begun to show blue and purple hues amongst the dimming gold. She wished she could slow down so that she could take it all in, however she also knew that her friends would worry if it took her awhile to return, so she continued letting Helios run at a quick pace, the area blurring past her field of vision. 

Perhaps it was the speed at which they were travelling that made it impossible for Ashlyn to see the incoming arrow that whistled through the air, that was until it had pierced Helios’ flank, embedding itself in his flesh, making the horse come to a sudden stop as pain and panic overwhelmed the creature, then quickly bolting away. The force of him stopping however had pulled Ashlyn from her position on top of him and she fell to the forest floor, hitting her head against the base of a tree. 

She groaned, her vision blurring as she tried to stand back up, knowing that there was a deep cut bleeding out from her forehead where it had come into contact with the tree. She froze however as adrenaline and instinct made her quickly become aware of the cold metal of a sword biting into her neck, looking up her eyes came into contact with a tall, strong grounder, with muscles that belied a hidden power. As if the sword and the fact that he had tried to shoot down her horse weren’t enough to intimidate her, two crescent-shaped scars could be seen either side of the man’s face, combined with several other scars that marked his features told her that she was in the presence of a highly-skilled warrior, however she also knew that scarring was common amongst Azgeda, meaning that she was in real trouble as they had been one of the primary clans who had reacted violently against Skaikru. And as the man’s eyes surveyed the nightblood that was running down her face before shifting to look her directly in the eyes, she had a hard time pushing back her fear. 

“Hello, Sheidgona.”


End file.
